A Perilous Welcome to Margaret L. Carter!

I read DRACULA at the age of twelve and became enthralled with horror, fantasy, and science fiction (in SF, mostly the “soft” variety). At the public library I couldn’t find enough of the fiction I wanted to read, especially vampire stories and any kind of story from the viewpoint of the “monster.” I started writing my own tales at thirteen, on an old typewriter my aunt had left at my grandmother’s house. The first complete story was a ghost romance. Another of my first efforts was a 33-page (single-spaced) story in the first person by a man who was unwittingly changing into a vampire.

2. What genres do you write in?

Paranormal romance, horror, and fantasy.

3. Do you outline, “wing it,” or something in between?

I’m a dedicated outliner. I enjoy the outlining process, while the actual first-draft writing is slow and difficult for me. Early in my attempts to write novels, I learned that if I didn’t have the plot preplanned, I would get bogged down in the middle and probably never finish.

4. What is your latest or next-forthcoming book (or both)?

I have a story in HALLOWEEN TREASURES, an anthology just released from the Jewels of the Quill (www.jewelsofthequill.com), an author group I belong to, and published by Whiskey Creek Press (www.whiskeycreekpress.com). My story, “Mistress of the Shadow Hounds,” is a paranormal romance with a Lovecraftian premise. The heroine inherits a magical talisman from her uncle, an anthropologist who was involved in investigating ancient cults that worship entities from another dimension. On November 23, Ellora’s Cave (www.ellorascave.com) will published my novella “Song from the Abyss,” another Lovecraftian romance, this one with a high heat level. The heroine returns to her dead aunt’s house for the first time since her aunt used her in an erotic ritual to seal a portal to another dimension, a portal where her boyfriend who disappeared years before has been trapped between dimensions ever since. And there are tentacles involved.

5. What are you working on now?

A romance novella about a male vampire-hunter who captures a female vampire in hopes she can help him rescue his cousin, who’s being held captive by the vampire villain.